Summary

This is a popular course that integrates the study of English language and literature. It is a dynamic and wide-ranging course that gives you the chance to develop your analytical and creative skills. It also allows you to apply linguistic concepts to literary texts and vice versa.

Throughout the course you will cover a range of fiction and non-fiction texts - while some of these might be familiar to you, others certainly won’t be. You will develop your analytical skills and enhance your understanding of literary and linguistic concepts as we delve into the four different components of the course.

• Component 1 is poetry & prose where you will study some classic British authors, such as William Blake, Christina Rossetti and Charles Dickens.
• Component 2 focuses on drama where you will study a Shakespearean comedy and a post 1900 play.
• Component 3 is non-literary where you will study spoken language and analyse the first ever non-fiction novel.
• Component 4 is a genre-study where you will explore the world of Gothic fiction in detail. This final unit produces a coursework folder which will include both critical analysis and some of your own creative writing.

We frequently organise theatre and gallery trips. In recent years we have visitied London, Stratford, Sheffield, and Ipswich. Recent favourites have included a Mexican version of Much Ado About Nothing at The Globe, Hobbit star Richard Armitage in The Crucible at the Old Vic and Benedict Cumberbatch as Frankenstein’s creature at the National Theatre. We also try to provide additional context when we study texts; most recently, we have conducted a Gothic Ghost Walk exploring the haunting tales surrounding Tombland in Norwich.

This is a diverse course covering all aspects of English. If you want to explore texts in new and exciting ways, challenge yourself to read something different or just want to explore English in more detail, this is the course for you.